July 4, 1776, King George III of England wrote in his diary, “Nothing happened today.” I don’t know what the king had in mind. Maybe it was something special he was expecting to happen but did not. We have no way of knowing. But, how wrong he was. Something of the utmost importance did happen that day. Something of historical significance. Something that would change the course of world history. Something that would have a momentous affect upon the entire British Empire and the rest of the world. Far across the Atlantic, some colonial delegates met together and after a long debate created and signed a unique document creating a new nation. This new nation was destined to prosper and grow and one day stand head and shoulders above every other nation on the face of the earth. That was the birthday of the United States of America.

One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was Patrick Henry. In one of his speeches, he declared that he no longer considered himself a Virginian but an American. He expressed the opinion that everyone should consider himself an American, not a Pennsylvanian, a New Yorker, North or South Carolinian – just an American. I believe he was right. Just be proud to be an American. I hear people talk about being African Americans, native Americans, Jewish Americans, Italian Americans, Spanish-speaking Americans, etc. But we ought to be content to be just Americans, I know it’s out of style, but I believe we need more “flag waving” and a display of old fashioned patriotism. I long for the day when schools will again begin the day with Bible reading and prayer and repeating the “pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America”. We ought to be proud to be Americans. We ought to teach our children to be proud citizens. We need to be more concerned about the future of our nation. We need to be concerned about the direction our country is taking, and let our voices be heard by those in high places. Let us pray for our country and our elected officials. (I Tim. 2:1-3)

Still inscribed upon our coins are the words, “In God We Trust.” This is what made this country great, and the Bible and history agree that a nation cannot long survive without faith in God.